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 Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 10:20 pm
(Timeline wise, set before Callum travels back to Jauhar~)
The morning sun was just beginning to crest over Sauti's mountains when Callum rounded a large, protruding stone. He reached out to place the palm of his hand against the cool rock, leeching some of it's cool nature into his sweat slicked skin. Each morning he tried to leave before the sun rose, just to give them the most out of the day. Inevitably it ensured a nap later in the evening, but thus was the routine that Callum had created for the young travelers.
He stood for a moment, heaving chest exposed to the suns warmth just to soak it in. This was living. Taking the mountain air deep into your lungs, feeling hard packed earth underneath your toes; he couldn't help the almost giddy smile on his face.
Even better was the knowledge that they were only a short distance away from the stone formation Callum had wanted to show Nimueh. It was one even he hadn't seen before, but he remembered his Aunt telling him of it when he was small. "Do you need a break, Nim? We can rest here if you need to catch your breath." He made a half turn, flashing that enthusiastic smile his way.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 10:44 pm
Nimueh hadn't come to appreciate his friend's stamina until they'd been traveling for a good while, and honestly the prentice, still used to a quiet, sedentary life back in Zena, was wearing thin under the schedule. But with the promise of the formation within a day's distance (or so they hoped), he had been fit to burst with excitement, and whatever exhaustion he'd been carrying was replaced with the exuberance only youthful energy could provide.
Even if Sauti was hotter than Zena, and he found himself overheating more than he was used to... Breathless though he was, Nim shot his friend a playful glare and waved him off as he paused beside him, leaning briefly against the outcrop of rocks. "What, when we're so close?" Nimueh asked with disbelief, shaking his head, taking the moment to tie up his dreads with a peace of twine. "... I can rest when we're closer." Besides, seeing Callum so relaxed and pleased made him wary of stopping, and breaking the mood. He enjoyed seeing him happy too much to keep him from it, now.
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 10:37 am
"Alright, then let's keep going!" Callum bounced on the balls of his feet before turning further up his little 'path'. At one point it may have been a capramel trail, though at this stage the path had nearly become nonexistent. Even through his excitement Callum was concerned. He knew the further they went into the mountains, the greater their chances were of running into some nasty beasties, but all had been quiet so far. Maybe they weren't in the right area?
The area was gradually becoming flatter, and more easily accessible. It should have meant they were in the home stretch, but Callum paused, tilting his head to the left. "Nim...what do you hear?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 3:31 pm
All in all, their trip had gone by with very little trouble - but then again, Nim hadn't heard of too many incidents from his parents about traveling in Sauti. Once it was clear they were heading into flatter territory, Nim let out a soft sigh of relief, eager to have the hills and rocky crags behind him, at least until they had to turn and go back the way they'd come. A few paces ahead of his companion, Nim didn't notice as he stopped, and instead continued on until he noticed he was no longer being followed. One foot settled against a rock, Nim drew a hand across his sweating brow and turned to peer back at Callum, squinting his eyes at him questioningly.
What did he hear?? Beyond the pounding of his pulse from his exertion, he hadn't noticed anything... but he paused and tilted his head as well, straining his senses to listen. Without antennae, Nim's senses were closer to that of an earthling than an Alkidike, but he was still trained as a hunter and he wasn't unused to listening out for wildlife. Only here there wasn't the crunch of snow to listen for... but the clacking of rocks, or gravel shifting under the feet.
Whatever it was he was listening for, once he'd paused to hear it didn't make a further sound. But that didn't rule out the possibility of being stalked. After a few, long moments, he gave Callum a brief shake of his head, but still shifted to grasp for his shield, untying it from the belt that held it to his back, and instead strapping it in place along his forearm. It wouldn't hurt to be careful.
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 6:58 pm
His hand found the hilt of his sword on reflex. Cautiously he padded further into the clear, turning his body slowly to scan over his surroundings. With one hand held aloft to block the sun he was forced to rely on the little clicks he had heard just a few moments ago. The sounds of pebbles shifting on a ledge, weight pressing on dirt...Callum was at a loss. The sound could have been a grouping of morackers or -
Callum saw the sermal just a fraction of a moment before it bounced from above. Had he not been able to drop into a roll at the right time the large predatory feline would have had him. He landed close to Nim, crouched and when he twisted to see the creature it was already walking in a wide arch towards them. "s**t". It was fully grown, with a coat of sleek fur that camouflaged it well with their surroundings. His eyes found the jagged protrusions sprouting from it's body only half as unnerving as the long fangs that were bared to them.
"Whatever you do, don't run."
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 7:13 pm
Don't run?! What was he supposed to do then?! Nimueh froze up when the massive creature lept, heart in his throat as it landed with powerful claws where Callum had stood, feet ahead on the path. Somehow, however, Callum evaded the beast - and as soon as he straightened to stand beside him, the Alkidike felt a wave of relief, and anxiety at the possibility of Callum being harmed. He wasn't a stranger to fighting off creatures, but he was still as yet unfamiliar with the beasts outside of Zena, and the long fangs and claws on the beast instantly put him on alert.
Was it normal, for this kind of creature to hunt on earthlings? Nim raised his shield slowly, swallowing thickly despite himself. "What is that thing?" He finally shot back, voice a low whisper.
The sermal itself continued to pace around them, gauging their reaction, but Nim didn't know if this wariness was a good or a bad sign.
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 12:07 pm
Scarlett Arbuckle Did we ever decide on who was getting mauled? lol
He swallowed back a lump that had been forming in his throat. "It's a sermal." Callum responded, voice barely above a whisper. He tried to judge just where the beast would strike, but that proved difficult. "Very big, very nasty, lives in the mountains. It's looking for a weak spot. If you run, it will chase you." And likely shred through the flesh of Nim's back. Weak spot...where is our weak spot? Or rather, whom? Nimueh may have been the younger one, but he was holding a defensive shield. Callum was wirey, a perfect target if not for the blade he carried. Had this sermal been attacked by earthlings before? It was the only explanation he could think of as to why they hadn't been attacked earlier.
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 9:38 pm
Painted Moose whatever is easiest >3> it could attack nim since he'd freaking out, and Callum intercepts, or it attacks callum cause he's smaller or even attacks nim and cal drives it off XD<3 I'm happy either way. I thought him freaking out during a fight would give him a good reason to train really hard when he got home.
Taking small, minute steps to try and shimmy closer (fighting tooth and nail against the shooting fear that told him to run), Nimueh took a shuddering breath. The creature eyed him briefly as he moved, but didn't attack, not yet - instead it was testing their defenses. It continued to stalk around them, making them shuffle and shift in the rocky soil to keep face to face with it. Nimueh knew little about the beast or its capabilities - in Zena, most foes were slower, weighted down with furs or fat - and a raptrix, while deadly, was more likely to overwhelm you suddenly. In a drawn out fight, a hunter had the advantage, unless many raptrix were in the area.
Here? This creature - it might jump to the side then pounce before they could whirl around. How fast was it? Did it favor the claws, or were those saber like teeth meant be used for the killing blow? Should he watch the legs, or beware a leap through the air? He was aware of shaking, and here in Sauti he couldn't claim it was the cold that made him shudder so. It felt like his first hunt all over again, and the desire to grab Callum and curl up against his side shamed him more than he could say. If he had earthling eyes, his fear may have been more evident, but surely the pale of his face, and the quiet clatter of his shield bumping the dangling pendants of his necklace most likely gave him away. He felt no more skilled than a youngling with a pan lid on his arm.
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 5:24 am
Scarlett Arbuckle I think we talked over aim about Callum being the maulee. x33
He felt, rather than heard, Nim's shuddered breathing through his own frayed nerves. His hands flexed around the hilt of his sword and gave the leather wrapping a firm squeeze out of reflex. Callum's palms were slick with sweat though he had never felt more chilled in his life.
In an instant the standstill turned into full on combat.
The sermal burst into action before him. It ran at him with it's body low to the ground, and leapt up, attempting to knock him off balance. Callum swung the blunt end of his sword at the beast, catching it just in time to avoid a nasty swipe to the face. It only delayed the inevitable, however. His arms ached from the blow, but the sermal seemed just as intent as ever.
Callum took a step away from Nimueh, bringing his sword in a sweeping arch for an upward strike when it pounced again. The sword bit into it's fleshy hide but did little in the way of slowing it down. By the time his weapon was even in position it had spun and attacked his exposed flank. Callum landed on his front with an audible 'thud', though his scream over rode whatever sound he'd made. The creature was on his back, it's claws raking over the expanse of bare skin. He tried to push it away, to buck it off, anything to get it to leave him be, but only succeeded in turning over onto his back. In the shift the sermal latched it's saber like fangs onto his left shoulder and clamped down with every muscle in it's jaw. It's claws, still stick with fresh blood, pressed down hard onto his stomach, effectively using a pressurized pull to make the most of it's attack.
Callum fumbled for his sword, but couldn't find it. Somewhere in the attack he'd lost it; lost the only chance he had of killing this thing. Every time it's fangs bit deeper into his flesh, coming closer to the bone, his screams took on a different timbre. His fear was evident, the pain was all consuming, and no matter how much he pushed against the sermal it just wouldn't let go.
Over it's body he saw Nimueh. Almost instantaneously Callum bellowed, "RUN. Get out of here while you can!" He had a shield, sure, but it didn't take a higher intellect to know when someone was frightened. Nimueh would only get himself killed if he stayed. When those same claws dug deeper into his gut Callum tried to choke back a shriek by closing his eyes and gritting his teeth; hard.
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2016 11:24 am
In one moment, the nerve wracking standstill shattered. The creature made its move, jumping at Callum, and for the barest of moments Nim felt a traitorous jolt of relief that it wasn't coming at HIM. Somehow, showing more strength than his height would have suggested, Callum caught it with his sword - and it took Nim a moment to realize it hadn't been sliced, but only pushed back. He rose his shield, looking from Callum to the sermal as they fought. Just as the sermal landed, it was leaping once more - and then Callum was on the ground, with the massive beast upon him, and there was blood - so much blood, and it was Callum's. It all happened in a matter of moments - one Callum was standing, sword sweeping, the next he was on his belly, claws raking over his flesh, the next -- those eyes were boring into Nimueh's, dilated in pain and fear, and yet still telling him to run.
Then the contact was gone - Callum's eyes snapped shut, and the sermal, focused for now on its attempts to tear out his throat, or gut him where he lay, paid Nimueh no mind. He could run, and be gone by the time it even wondered about the second man it had attacked. And Nimueh would be a horrible liar to say that he didn't consider it - that he hadn't taken a stumbling step backward, away from the carnage and blood. But if he ran, it wouldn't be some mysterious stranger that the sermal had killed - it would be Callum. Callum who, while still a mystery in many senses, was also the only person from his childhood that he had left. The person he had confessed to crushing on? Who had agreed to take him to see the formations, for no reason but to take him there. And what did it say about Callum that he was being attacked by a beast, and yet was telling him to run??
But what could he do? Nimueh had a shield, but not much else at his disposal. Even so, before he knew he'd made his choice Nimueh was running the few steps forward, rearing back with his arm and swinging down. The edge of his shield smashed down against the Sermal's head, once, twice, again and again, each blow jarring back up the bones of his arm. It was already biting as hard into Callum as it could, but if he struck it enough he hoped it would let go- if only to run him off.
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 7:38 pm
In a vain attempt to disengage the sermal Callum scrambled to bring his legs closer to his chest in an attempt to kick it off. He couldn't managed it around the creature's own legs, and the best he could accomplish was to catch his bare toes on it's tail before giving up.
His heart rate was up so much that between his involuntarily cries of pain Callum could hear little else besides the roaring in his ears. The heat of it's breath on his skin caused him to jerk away on impulse, though it did little more than to tear further into his flesh. He couldn't see Nimueh anymore; all he could see were the eyes of his attacker. The self sacrificing aspect of Callum was glad that Nim had heeded his words, but his mind was screaming for the ice hybrid to come back. The thought of being left to this, to be left alone to die...It terrified Callum more than the attack itself. Come back! Don't leave me, please, Gods don't leave me...
And so Nimueh's strike to the sermal came with mixed emotions. That first initial strike wasn't enough to jolt the feline into letting go of his shoulder, but the subsequent attacks did the trick. It unhinged it's jaw, only to turn it's focus back on Nimueh with a roaring hiss. The action caused Callum to fall back onto the hard ground like a broken doll with the creatures claws lodged within his torso. For a moment he couldn't breath; couldn't think or comprehend as an overwhelming relief spread through him. A wet, gurgling cough forced him from his momentary peace, though he never saw the blood that passed over his lips.
"S-sword...get...the sword..." He tried to raise his voice, but found himself unable to. It would be a miracle if Nimueh even heard him over the sermal's displeased vocals.
Focusing on Nimueh as it's new prey, the feline sprang from it's position atop Callum to strike.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 2:40 pm
It was stupid, oh so stupid of him, and yet in the heat of the moment Nimueh had forgotten all about the sword. With one more thud of his shield against the sermal's neck, the beast let go and rounded on him, the fur around its mouth wet and sticky with blood. The vision of Callum there, laying on the ground with pale eyes locked on him, his shoulder a horrible image of ripped meat and muscle made him freeze. From here, Nimueh couldn't hear Callum- could only see him trying to speak, beyond the bright red of blood on his lips.
It was a miracle, more than any real luck or sense that caused Nimueh to move - he didn't hear Callum's warning, or his instruction to find the sword, but he had seen enough of the sermal to know that standing still wouldn't work on it. For larger, more territorial beasts, sudden movement was an invitation to get gored - but that was already the intention of the sermal. In this case, he needed to keep it off Callum - and, preferably, off himself as well. With his shield raised, Nimueh hurled himself sideways just as the sermal leapt at him, barely missing it as it landed, heavily, just a feet away. Raising himself to his full height, Nimueh rose his hand and beat on the front of his wooden shield, slapping it and shouting, loudly, at the beast. "That's right, look at me !"
Having missed, the sermal quickly righted itself, resuming its prowling. It had already been struck by this thing, so it was clear it wouldn't have a moment's peace to enjoy its hunt, not until this larger thing was hurried off.
As he stepped back, Nimueh kept his eyes locked on the sermal - and it was through luck itself that he saw it, shining feet away from both him and the cat: the sword. Now, he just had to GET to it... it'd be one thing if CAllum could somehow raise himself to get to the blade, but with Nim having to get it himself, he had to time it perfectly.
With a quick prayer to the gods, Nimueh braced himself then darted forward, hammering at his shield - and watching as the cat scuffled backwards with a loud, warning yowl, swiping at him with its claw. Now, with the sword only inches away from his feet, Nimueh had to find some way of GETTING it - if he wasn't careful, and ducked too hastily, then he'd be giving the sermal the perfect opportunity to hit him, hard.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 8:30 pm
Move. MOVE. You have to help him! Callum's mind was a whirl of activity, but with each passing moment a fog threatened to consume the entirety of his consciousness. It seemed that each droplet of blood that seeped from his wounds carried with it pieces of his reasoning, leaving him in a static state.
What should he do? What could he do? Callum highly doubted he would be much use to Nimueh in this state, and yet, he had to try. Rising up into a sitting position forced more wet coughs to rack through his body, but he remained upright through sheer force of will. Noise...loud noises to draw the sermal away. That idiot was trying to protect him! That blue, beautiful idiot.
It didn't take Callum long to spot the problem. If Nim dove for the sword the sermal would be upon him. What was needed was a distraction for the distraction...His body lurched forward, a nauseating feeling bringing out a cold sweat against his skin. There was a vibrating pain in his wounds, and yet, it wasn't nearly as present as it had been earlier. That was odd...
Fear of passing out entirely forced Callum back to the ground, though this time he made sure to tuck himself onto his side to watch. His injured shoulder was exposed to the sky, arm hanging limply over the gouges in his abdomen. Think, think, think!
Then it came to him. It was simple, and he would have pinched himself for not thinking of it earlier if he wasn't already wounded. Drawing in much air as he could through his blood coated lips, Callum let out an ear piercing wail. The sound was so sudden that it caught the sermal's attention, if only for a moment.
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Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 10:07 am
Out of the corner of his eye, Nim saw Callum sitting up, and instantly wanted to shout at him to lie down, to stop moving. Every motion could disturb his wounds, and every noise and shift could attract the sermal's attention. Had Callum lost enough blood that his reason had gone with it? Thankfully, as Nimueh continued to bang at his shield, shifting forward towards the sermal to force it into a brief retreat, the wounded hybrid finally collapsed down again, onto his side, curled up and so fragile-looking that Nimueh felt a pang of fear just looking at him.
And then he screamed. If Nimueh hadn't already been trying to keep an eye on him, he would have been just as startled as the sermal, which jolted and turned its head, ears pricked, towards the sound. It wasn't unusual for wounded prey to scream or let out sounds - but it was also a concern. If it screamed too much, more scavengers and other predators would come to investigate, and the sermal didn't want it to be dragged off while it was still fighting this other beast.
Mentally cursing, Nimueh took the chance for what it was and quickly ducked down, hand trembling as it grabbed at the hilt of the sword, taking up a handful of sand along with it. The sword was unfamiliar in his hand, foreign and strange, and heavier than he had expected. But the motion of kneeling to grab it caught the sermal's attention once again and, just as expected, it took its chance. Running at him, full tilt, the cat was upon him in mere moments - but now, with sword in hand, Nimueh raised his shield to protect his torso, and thrust the sword out as it leapt upon him, bowling him over and onto the ground, just as it had with Callum. For a sickening moment, as the cat thrashed over him, teeth crunching at his wooden shield, and claws raking against his shoulders, Nimueh feared that he had missed, and that the molten heat of blood dripping onto him was his own.
But then, the sermal withdrew, nearly tugging the sword from his hand with the motion, but despite the slick blood threatening to let it slip from his fingers, Nimueh kept his grip - and the sermal removed itself. His breath stolen from being pinned, the Alkidike peered over his shield, watching as the sermal, bleeding heavily from its belly, backed off, growing low in its throat as it did so. A hunter would press the prey at this point, taking the warning growl at its worth, and taking the chance to secure the meat and fur... but Nimueh had no interest in hunting it. Instead, he sat up, then carefully pushed himself to stand as the sermal retreated from where it came, back into the rocks.
Once it was gone, Nimueh turned and rushed to Callum's side, staring down at him, wide-eyed. Aisha, he was bleeding so much... "Callum? C-can you hear me? Callum?" He dared to ask, while he shakily worked to secure the shield on his back once again.
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Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 10:54 am
Scarlett Arbuckle You caught me at a good time for a return tag lol.
Rest seemed to elude him. Someone was beckoning him back into the waking world despite his attempts to avoid them. If he just had a few hours to sleep this off then he would come around. Just a few hours...
And yet, he couldn't sleep. There was something in the voice that pierced through his fogged mind that called him forward. He groaned, involuntarily pulling himself into a tighter ball while his mind caught up. The action caused his chest to spasm, forcing out a few wet, bloodied coughs before he finally opened his eyes.
And the first thing he saw caused his half-lidded gaze to widen in alarm. "Your...your a-arm..." Was that Nim's blood or the sermals? "You s-sh-should have run...idiot." His voice was so low and slurred that it would be a wonder if the other hybrid could understand him at all.
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